Thieves in prison as dormice are released to freedom!

A huge thank you for your support

Thieves in prison as dormice are released to freedom!     Despite the terrible theft of dormice appeal donations, our conservation team are celebrating the recent release of sixteen rescued dormice from animals bred at Wildwood Trust. Wildwood Conservation Officer, Katie Prior, who was on hand to assist with the release said:   "Wildwood would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts, the hundreds of people who made donations to our dormouse appeal after the theft. This boost in donations has meant we can continue our vital conservation work to help save the hazel dormouse".   "It is vital that we continue to release dormice to help them expand their range and bring hazel dormice back into areas where they once thrived."   For anyone who hasn't yet donated and wishes to support this ongoing programme, donations can still be made by clicking the button below. Alternatively, you can donate by credit/debit card over the phone, post a cheque made payable to ‘Wildwood Trust’ or make a cash donation when you next visit.   DONATE HERE   »   Supported by a team of conservation organisations including the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Paignton Zoo, Natural England and Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust; Wildwood was on hand to assist in the release of sixteen dormice, bred at Wildwood, to the secret locations.   Security camera footage at Wildwood caught the thieves on camera and thanks to a huge response from our supporters on social media, one of the three thieves were identified which, after police investigation, led to their imprisonment. Wildwood supporters rallied to the charity’s aid and replaced the stolen funds, which helped this year’s reintroduction to take place!   This year was slightly different, in that the released dormice were used to bolster previously reintroduced populations in order to increase genetic diversity and maximise their long term survival. The dormice had spent 10 weeks in quarantine – half at the Institute of Zoology in London and the other half at Paignton Zoo. They were all were health checked before being given the go ahead for release.   The dormice were ‘soft released’ – this means that they are held in a release cage for over a week before a small opening is made and the dormice are allowed to make their own way out. Food is then provided in the cages for them over the next three months.   Watch the video below to see one of the dormice that has since been released.     Wildwood Trust's Peter Smith said:   "We are so proud of our conservation team to have once again released so many dormice back to the wild following the shock of the robbery. It was fitting that the security system which caught the robbers, was originally acquired to record footage of baby dormice to help scientific research into their care and protection. Yet the same system, which had been relocated to the shop after upgrading the cameras for the dormice, caught the robbers red handed when they were stealing donations made to our baby dormouse appeal”.   “Our security system was praised by the police for its high quality and was a vital part of the evidence that brought this prolific criminal to justice”.   Over thirty of Wildwood’s supporters identified the robber from the security video and this then helped police with their inquiries. Wildwood supporters also rallied to their aid with a huge social media response that saw the CCTV footage viewed over 150,000 times, as word spread about the despicable crime.   Watch the video to see footage of baby dormice filmed using the same camera that captured the burglary.     Wildwood’s dedicated conservation team are the leading experts in breeding dormice for a national reintroduction programme, which has successfully bred more than 186 dormice and reintroduced them to woodlands where they have previously become extinct.   Scientific evidence shows the perilous state of Britain’s dormice that, without our help, face almost certain extinction. Despite being one of our most endearing woodland mammals, its desperate plight has alarmed scientists and the situation is getting much worse, which is why this vital conservation work is so important.   Each year Wildwood supplies captive-bred dormice for the release programme and as the studbook holder for the species, selects and pairs up the animals for release, thus ensuring the strongest genetic mix for future generations.   Thank you so much for your ongoing support in helping this vital conservation work to continue, with your help we have been able to give these dormice a real chance of survival!

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